Asahi Imports

Asahi has been my go-​to place when I’m craving Japanese snacks, sweets, and more specialized dishes (okonomiyaki, curry, etc). Although the their prices are on the higher side, I don’t complain since a lot of their items are can only be found here. I’ve lived in Houston (think bellaire, H-​mart) and even there is hard to find some of the things Asahi has. They carry a good variety of things, which I always love and they often surprise me every visit with new things. Their breads are yummy (try melon pan), their onigiri are to die for and their gifts corner is always fun to shop around. One thing I would still love to try is their bento boxes only sold WTHF. I love Asahi! I highly recommend this cute Japanese grocery store!

I’m not an expert on anything Japanese and I don’t know the language BUT the store was very clean and organized. I was in love as soon as I walked in. It may seem small but it has a great variety of packaged food. The cashier was genuinely happy to serve us. I walked out happy with my purchase and decided it was time to learn Japanese :).

The rice balls are yum. They have them in a lot of different flavors. All of them are good.

We bought lots of goodies, including things for Oden and Misonikomi. I made the Oden today and it was wonderful.

This is the only exclusively-​Japanese market in the city so it has to be the best!
Sure, some other places have Japanese goods but the exclusivity here ensures a more authentic Japanese experience.
The place recently doubled in sized but it’s still small. They carry mostly packaged food items with an increased frozen section and now a little (not sure what to call it) «take out (?)» that features onigiri and a few bakery items and teas.
There’s also a selection of other Japanese products, like skin/​hair care, teas sets, dishes, erasers, origami papers, and other kitsch.
Their strength, to me, is in the friendliness and knowledge of the staff, the cleanliness of the store, and the variety of food items they can pack in there, and not just the fancy stuff. They’ve got basics like mayo, mustard, natto, chips, poki, and seasonings. Ramen. Soba. They had fresh burdock last time I was there.
It’s the only place I know in Austin that has supermarket-​style onigiri — wrapped in plastic with a crispy seaweed wrapper. It’s better than any supermarket I’ve been to anywhere in the US but I say supermarket-​style because you can grab and go. They also allow you to order in advance in case you get there late and they’re out of what you want.
It’s a small slice of Japan that is otherwise missing in Austin. Love it.

I’m a fan of the Morinag Hot Cake mix, which somehow always changes its packaging during the interim periods when I’m using up my existing supply. The staff here are always super gracious in helping me find it, and I like that they do the traditional Japansese two-​handed acceptance for taking and returning credit cards.

This is an absolute must for anyone who has traveled Japan and misses the flavours, sights and sounds. What a wonderful store, and lovely people. My daughter and I have to come by, usually once a week for onigiri (Rice Balls)…which transports us right back to last summer in Tokyo, Kyoto and Hakone!!!

Asahi continues to be amazing! Eric R. and I stopped here after lunch a few days ago and he actually was willing to come inside! Usually he waits in the car when I scavenge in Japanese markets. One thing I immediately noticed is that the space was much larger and less cluttered. It was newly remodeled! At the entrance, there were gifts, serveware, and cards. Then, shelves of dry goods very well organized with clean floors and lots of space. On the left side of this first part of the store (the original main part), there were refrigerated cases that included fresh produce. I found yellow yuzu here again!!! and shiso leaves!!! My shiso plant already hibernated for winter over a month ago so I was excited to see these!
The second half of the store (on the left side) had more dry goods like noodles, frozen food, sake and other alcohol (e.g., plum wine), baked goods, and onigiri. At the front of the store was also magazines and books in Japanese. The staff was very friendly, answering questions I had such as about the freeze-​dried tofu that I saw on NHK’s Itadakimasu! Dining with the Chef show. I left with lots of great ingredients (including yuzu somen)! I would love to shop here again and would be a regular if I ever return to Austin to live here.

They had everything from cosmetics, sodas, snacks, rice, ramen, and even trinkets! They were nice and clean inside. The way the store was organized was very nice to have a look around without feeling like you were in a small store with minimal square footage. The cashier was so friendly and if you want to feel like you are in a little store in Japan then this is your place. They have plenty of parking outside, too. The pricing is a bit high so a lot of their stuff is cheaper at Han Yang Market if they carry it but I would still come here to buy many of their things. Not to mention I would come here to feel like I am getting more bang for my buck when it comes to being able to have a look at tons of authentic Japanese products all in one place!

Fairly small Japanese store that carry items from Japan. They have a lot of snacks, drinks, instant ramen, beers/​sake, freezer items.
They sell very few fresh items like eggs and mushrooms in the store. In addition, they have miscellaneous items like origami paper, tshirts, daruma erasers, shampoo/​conditioner, and palty hair dye. They have really cute tea sets and cellphone accessories.
As for prices, they are fairly reasonable. Some are a little on the pricey side since they are imported from Japan. They give you a box for free or you can purchase one of their cute reusable bags for $ 0.25.
All in all, it’s a cute small store to pick up snacks and ingredients to cook Japanese food.

This place is clutter-​free and extremely clean! That definitely affected my mood and the amount of food I bought from this store. The young worker who greeted us was friendly and even helped me build my ramune stockpile by grabbing more from the back.
The prices here are about what I expected it to be, maybe a little higher. But that’s okay, C C Lemon was on sale for $ 2!
Something that I always do at specialty stores is checking the expiration dates on items. Some people are okay with buying items that are almost or already expired, but I get grossed out by that. Luckily for me, all of the items I bought were over a year away from the expiration dates! It seems like they are on top of their game to put out the freshest and the best items for their customers.

I love this little store. I had only visited once, a few years ago, and I was happy to see not much has changed. I was greeted by the same big smile on the old Japanese owner’s face, sitting behind the counter. I was enticed by all the beautiful clay pieces — bowls, cups, plates imported from Japan. It’s easy to get lost in the isles filled with everything from condiments, to candy, to strange gooey things.
My main reason for returning though is their sushi grade fish. It’s in the freezers all the way back on the left. They have a great selection and it’s all decently priced. I got escolar and tuna for about $ 8-​$ 9 a half pound. They have a very limited produce selection — Japanese cucumbers, sprouts, mushrooms, that sort of thing. They have a good selection of rices and sakes.
As with any place that bases it’s sales mainly on imports, you can expect prices to be a few dollars higher than you might find other places. I still think this is a great little gem, and it’s fun to explore the different brands and items you won’t find at bigger markets. Support local!

Good selection and okay prices for medium-​grain rice, tofu, curry, arare, and sake.
Love the mom-​and-​pop feel to the store. Nothing special about the customer service, but they provide asian products that can be difficult to fine elsewhere.

Fun little store. Has everything we needed to cook up japanese udon and tofu salad. Very nice owner. Would definitely recommmend this place!

I just love coming to this little mom and pop store when I’m preparing Japanese food at home!
The front of the store has beautiful made dishes and tea cups. The quality that goes into making them is magnificent. They have small, vacuum sealed, fish in the freezer section. The dry good shelves carry just about everything you would need for any recipe. The owner is extremely knowledgeable and nice. If there prices are higher than other Asian markets… I don’t care. I enjoy shopping here.

Rice balls are sold Monday through Friday!
The staff is so friendly and helpful. It’s a nice cute place to get Japanese ingredients and small products!

Fairly small store; however, they manage to pack it full. All things Japanese: from utensils, to serving dishes, all the funky candies, noodles, sauces, toiletries, frozen goods, limited fresh produce, and a pretty impressive sake selection. I would say about 99% of the items are directly imported.
I am able to find all of the items I need to make my Japanese (and a few Japanese Korean fusion stews — shhhh… don’t tell anyone) dishes at Asahi. The prices on some items are a little elevated compared to other local Asian markets; but it’s totally acceptable. They have items I have only seen in Japan and are not available at other Korean or Chinese focused stores. Plus, when I visit I get the chance to practice my limited Japanese with the cute little lady behind the counter. Always smiling and not the slightest bit weirded out or judgmental (or at least she doesn’t show it) when I tell her «watashi no namae Asahi desu» — which means my name is Asahi. Asahi is a masculine name and the name of her store of course, but there is no translation for Dawn in Japanese, so my friends gave me the title when I was in Japan because it’s the closest… means sunrise.
Overall, charming little store, loads of inventory, friendly customer service, and «I think I’m turning Japanese… I really think so!» Domo arigato gozaimashita!
Note: Also a great place to buy a gift — traditional geta, tea set, adorbs chopsticks, or perhaps even a beautiful Japanese money card to present the gift of moola in — just be sure not to buy one that is meant to be used for a funeral — or do. If your friend is gaijin they probably won’t be able to tell, right? ;) Yes… I made that mistake… twice.

And here we are 5 years later, Yep.
One of the best Japanese grocery stores in Texas. One of only three in fact.
Stuff here that you can’t get anywhere else in Texas. Real Japanese food and imports.
It was interesting to find and I did buy 5 types of Japanese craft beers. At $ 5 per 11 oz. bottle the price was insane but I didn’t have to import them myself and they are some of the rarest beers in the US.
Friendly staff, same lady as 5 years ago in fact.

MT Supermarket or Hana will meet most of your Asian grocery needs, but if you are looking for a store that specializes in Japanese groceries, you’ll most likely find it here. This tiny, local grocery store has a very small selection of fresh vegetables, but a large selection of frozen and refrigerated Japanese items such as noodles, fish, vegetables, and desserts. In addition, they sell small accessories, knick knacks and greeting cards. They have a very cute selection of Japanese Tea pots and dishes.
The prices are a bit higher than the larger Asian markets, but a lot of the stuff is made or comes from Japan. I like to buy the frozen udon noodles here, but sometimes the noodles appear to have freezer burn.

We frequent this place at least once a month and have been going here for the past year at least. It is very clean and well kept.
The main reason we first started coming here was the sushi grade fish. Escolar (my fave), salmon, tuna (even Himachi). Very decently priced and flash frozen so trustworthy. No worries about getting sick.
The frozen fish section only takes up one small shelf in one of the freezers. The rest of the store has a bunch of other options. We get the ramen in the freezer and they have my favorite brown sushi rice. Price for a large bag of rice is comparable to the the asian market off Research Blvd and this place is much cleaner.